
Investigation ‘Echo’: EPPO arrests five suspected ringleaders in probe into VAT fraud involving wireless earbuds
European Public Prosecutor's Office
(Luxembourg, 26 August 2026) – At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Munich (Germany), five individuals were arrested today in Czechia, suspected of being the organisers of a criminal VAT fraud scheme involving the sales of wireless earbuds. As part of this investigation, code-named ‘Echo’, assets were also seized in Czechia, Germany and Lithuania. It is understood that the suspects are the ringleaders of an organised crime group that has been operating a VAT fraud system involving AirPods since at least 2019, causing an estimated damage of €20 million between 2019 and 2023.





